Fairfield Public Library Reader’s Advisory – Recommendations, Reviews and More

Wolf of Wall Street

Summary/Review: It’s hard to believe that this book is non-fiction because Jordon Belfort, the author and main character of the book, has portrayed his meteoric rise from lowly assistant stockbroker a mega-millionaire as such a farce. I am sure that there are financial and stock market insights to be gleaned from reading this book, but it is so funny that you don’t care. The author describes in excruciating detail his all-encompassing desire to eat, drink, self-medicate, and debauch to his heart’s content. All while earning millions of dollars each month. He takes us behind the scenes of manipulated IPO’s, some of which seem to be created exclusively to enrich him and his firm. By the time he is caught out by federal authorities for money laundering, insider trading, and other financial crimes he has been married twice, had two children, and achieved the ripe old age of 36! This is a morality story but again it is so funny, page after page, that you can simply enjoy it.

This book has been made into a movie starring Leonard DeCaprio.

Who will like this book?If you saw (and enjoyed) the movie, we always recommend reading the book! If you’re looking for a funny read about a very serious topic. If you’re interested in memoirs, finance, or comedy!

If you like this, try this:Belfort has written another book about his exploits (and ultimately, his downfall) in “Catching the Wolf of Wall Street”. If you felt there was anything lacking, this second book of stories may fill in the gaps. If you’re looking for more information and stories dealing with Wall Street and the people who run it, try “House of Cards” by William Cohan (who also writes “The Last Tycoons”). Greg Smith also wrote a piece for the New York Times, “Why I Left Wall Street”, which has since been turned into a book after 3 million readers logged onto the Times website to see his account. This one has a much darker view on the excess and extravagance of Wall Street.